Shark vs. Dyson: Which cordless vacuum will have to you get? by way of NewsFlicks

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The Shark vs. Dyson debate used to be alive and smartly a long way ahead of the FlexStyle or Airwrap have been phrases the web had in its vernacular. (However do not be disturbed — we’ve got dissected the FlexStyle vs. Airwrap competition, too.)

Vacuums have been the OG device that experience pitted those two manufacturers towards each and every different in buying groceries analysis for no less than a decade, although the kind of vacuum within the highlight has shifted from cumbersome upright vacuums to cordless stick vacuums.

Whilst manufacturers like Bissell, Samsung, Roborock, and Tineco sometimes slip a aggressive cordless fashion into the fold, Shark and Dyson are two transparent marketplace leaders. So I am investigating the contest between the number of cordless vacuums that Shark and Dyson be offering as a complete, in addition to evaluating options like suction energy, battery lifestyles, repairs, and attachments on in a similar fashion priced fashions via hands-on trying out in my own residence.

The Dyson V12 Come across Narrow.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Shark PowerDetect.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Notice: This head-to-head deep dive focuses only on cordless stick vacuums, now not robotic vacuums. The comparability between Shark robotic vacuums and the Dyson robotic vacuum wishes a long way fewer phrases: In no global will have to you purchase the Dyson 360 Vis Nav over any of the Shark robotic vacuums. I examined it and wasn’t inspired, and it is indisputably now not definitely worth the cash.

The place Dyson wins: Efficiency selection, attachments, and the laser

There are 13 other cordless Dyson vacuums offered on Dyson’s site as of summer season 2025, give or take a handful of moderately inexpensive derivative fashions of the V7 or V8 observed at outlets like Walmart. This has been Dyson’s core lineup for some time now — no new cordless Dysons were introduced for the reason that Dyson V15 Come across Submarine and Gen5 line dropped in June 2023.

The Dyson circle of relatives of vacuums levels in worth from round $300 (on sale) to $1,049.99, and that vast value spectrum leaves a ton of room for a possible purchaser to customise the depth in their superb cleansing to how a lot (or little) they believe is essential to spend on a vacuum. Anyone cleansing up after more than one pets or youngsters in a multi-story house might want a larger, badder Dyson with a two-hour battery lifestyles and a half-gallon dirt bin that would possibly not wish to be emptied as often, whilst any individual dwelling by myself in an condo won’t require as a lot stamina and prioritize a extra compact construct that is more straightforward to retailer.

The Fluffy Optic laser head is narrow sufficient to turn you what is hiding below furnishings.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Earlier than mechanically pegging Dyson’s steeper costs as a drawback, I would be remiss not to imagine how a lot Dyson is supplying you with for that chew of exchange. All the Dyson fashions above $649.99 (the V12 line, V15 line, and Gen5 line) include two interchangeable cleansing heads: the XL detangling Motorbar for deeper cleansing of carpets and the slimmer Fluffy Optic head with the golf green laser for extra meticulous cleansing of arduous flooring.

That laser is so iconic that it merits greater than a obscure point out on the finish of a sentence. It illuminates invisible particles like hair, tiny crumbs, and microscopic dirt on arduous flooring that most probably were not noticeable with an informal look at your flooring, stating precisely the place you wish to have to scrub even higher than the LED gentle at the cleansing head of Shark cordless vacuums. It is a game-changing software in houses with a tight quantity of hardwood, tile, or linoleum — as soon as you will have skilled cleansing with the Dyson laser, you will be unable to scrub with out it. It is the sole reason why the Dyson V12 Come across Narrow is my favourite vacuum of all time.

The mini motorized attachment is a must have for maintaining with losing.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The lower-tier Dysons (the Outsize line, the V11 line, and the V8 line) include one cleansing head like all the cordless Sharks do, however in contrast to any of the Shark fashions, even the most affordable Dyson line comes with the mini motorized hair screw software. This attachment marks a full-sized vacuum’s true talent to grow to be right into a hand held vacuum and, in houses with pets who sit back on furnishings or are common passengers within the automotive, is arguably used simply up to the full-sized cleansing heads.

The place Dyson loses: Intimidating costs and… an excessive amount of energy?

It is simple to gaslight your self into accepting that it is customary for a cordless vacuum to price with reference to a month’s hire if Dyson is at the leading edge of your vacuum analysis. In some circumstances, the upper prices are relatively justifiable making an allowance for all the further attachments that Dyson comprises, in addition to the exhaustive heavy-duty blank accomplished by way of Dyson’s complicated cyclonic machine.

However this attitude begins to get to the bottom of towards the inexpensive finish of the Dyson spectrum — probably the most lower-tier Dysons simply do not be offering what the equivalently-priced Sharks do. For instance, in case you sought after to spend not more than $300 or $400 on a cordless vacuum, Shark fashions in that worth vary, just like the Shark Blank & Empty ($399.99) or the Shark Vertex Hair Professional ($379.99), are in reality a greater bang to your greenback than no matter Dyson V8 you stumble throughout on sale. Shark has a extra inexpensive baseline for clever suction energy adjustment according to the particles degree sensed, and provides an automated emptying docking station with considered one of its smartest fashions for lower than $500. You’ll be able to handiest consider how a lot a self-emptying Dyson would value. The loss of that full-fledged upright docking machine signifies that storing maximum Dysons both calls for closet area or drilling a hollow to mount it to the wall.

It additionally seems that there is this kind of factor as being too robust to your personal just right. I am not the one individual I do know who has struggled with Dyson’s Virtual Motorbar vacuum head getting caught on carpet, whether or not that is free cushy floor like rugs and bathtub mats or a fully-carpeted room. The mix of such intense cyclonic suction and the spinning brush every so often makes the vacuum arduous to push around the flooring, steadily tripping itself up such a lot that the comb roll stops spinning altogether. On account of this, I’ve individually dubbed the Fluffy Optic cleansing head as my Dyson’s full-time cleansing head, irrespective of flooring kind, even though it is adapted to arduous flooring.

Even the bottom suction surroundings does not stay bathtub mats secure.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The place Shark wins: Sensible costs, balanced carpet cleansing, and automated emptying

There are 14 cordless vacuums offered on Shark’s site as of summer season 2025. (Many cordless Shark vacuums are available each a self-emptying model or a standalone model.) This quantity comprises the Shark HydroVac Professional XL: Shark’s cordless vacuum and mop combo fashion this is considerably inexpensive (however much less robust) than Dyson’s cordless vacuum mop. Shark slightly ever costs a vacuum upper than $500, and gross sales on Shark vacuums don’t seem to be arduous to return by way of, both.

Shark will get double issues for beating Dyson to the punch on computerized emptying. As an alternative of getting to manually empty your vacuum’s dirt bin into the trash after each and every few cleans, a number of Shark vacuums empty themselves as a substitute, dumping no matter they only sucked up into a bigger dirt bin within their charging dock. This wickedly handy repairs characteristic is already the norm with robotic vacuums, and is now turning into a lot more not unusual with cordless vacuums — however in spite of Dyson being the costlier logo basically, all of its vacuums nonetheless make you take care of the dirt bin by way of hand. This additionally makes up for the truth that maximum Shark dirt packing containers are not any larger than a pitcher of water, whilst Dyson provides a wider vary of dirt bin capacities.

For other people with hypersensitive reactions, the closed-loop auto-empty machine could also be a long way much less triggering than the inevitable inhalation of dirt soaring over the trash can. Plus, the dock additionally acts as integrated garage for the vacuum that does not require a closet or a screw drilled into the wall.

The PowerDetect’s dock offers with particles for a number of weeks at a time.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Evaluating suction energy on paper is difficult when each and every logo measures it differently. Shark supplies usual figures like amps, wattage, and volts, whilst Dyson’s major suction statistic is a calculation referred to as Air Watts. Complicated numbers apart, no matter Shark is doing within the suction energy realm is operating higher than what Dyson is doing — a minimum of in the case of plush carpet and rugs. The bristles dig whilst the rubber Powerfins are nice at pinching hair and particles from between carpet fibers, dominated by way of suction energy that is forceful sufficient to take on maximum messes on one move, however now not competitive sufficient to jam the entire mechanism.

The Shark Come across Professional is going slightly more straightforward on my fluffy bathtub mats than maximum Dysons do.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Shark PowerDetect is superb on puppy hair — revel in this visual evidence.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Shark comprises considered one of two major full-sized cleansing heads relying at the cordless vacuum you select, however each assault messes with Shark’s proprietary Powerfins, a mixture of versatile cleansing fins and bristles very similar to Dyson’s Motorbar. There is not any dust-detecting laser, however there’s a vibrant LED headlight that does a tight process of highlighting the trail in entrance of you to indicate particles that can have mixed in differently.

The place Shark loses: Skimpy attachments and heavy-duty top rate choices

Shark’s most often decrease costs are much less spectacular while you needless to say additionally they imply fewer extras within the field. Shark handiest ever comprises one full-sized cleansing head while Dyson steadily comprises two cleansing heads (a heavier-duty one adapted to plush carpeting and a slimmer one adapted to dusty arduous flooring). Then, Shark seeking to pack this kind of huge, robust brushroll and a headlight machine right into a unmarried vacuum head makes for a extra bulky design that does not have compatibility into all the nooks and crannies that most probably want a just right dusting. After you have used to the nimbleness of Dyson’s narrow Fluffy Optic head on my V12 Come across Narrow, I am endlessly pissed off with Shark vacuums now not relatively attaining all of the approach into corners, becoming in between or below some furnishings, or sweeping in the back of the bathroom as satisfyingly.

The LED lighting fixtures on Shark vacuums additionally don’t seem to be just about as useful when cleansing because the Dyson laser is. With the ability to see the place you might be cleansing is best than not anything, sure, however the laser is simply so a lot more exact in the case of selecting up on high quality, invisible particles. I don’t believe that Shark bulbs display the total scope of ways grimy the ground is, while the golf green laser illuminates the entirety.

The Shark LED gentle.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The Dyson laser.
Credit score: Leah Stodart / Mashable

It is usually noteworthy that the price of a Shark cordless vacuum does not come with the mini motorized brush attachment that makes or breaks a hand held vacuum’s price. The small attachments Shark comprises with each and every vacuum, like a crevice software or (non-motorized) puppy brush, are indisputably at hand, however don’t seem to be going to dig into upholstery or carpeted stairs like a centered spinning brush would. If that is an attachment you’ll want to see your self the use of steadily, you will have to purchase it one by one — so upload $99.99 to the price of the Shark you might be making an allowance for.

Which is best: Shark or Dyson?

On the subject of the cordless vacuum aspect in their marketplace domination, each Shark and Dyson be offering a number of forged choices that make it impractical to objectively crown one logo as “higher.” On the other hand, settling at the logo you need to carry house is lovely simple after confirming your major precedence for your vacuum hunt: funds or cleansing prowess.

All execs and cons thought to be, I am crowning Dyson the most productive logo for most of the people. It is arduous to argue with Dyson’s moderately upper costs when the cause of the fee is legitimate: They are merely sending extra within the field. Specifically, the mini motorized hair screw software (a non-negotiable in any house with pets), in addition to two full-sized cleansing heads that send with the V12, V15, and Gen5 traces.

Dyson’s cordless vacuum lineup is greater and extra tough than Shark’s, providing a number of tiers for upgrading and matching the quantity you might be prepared to pay for positive ranges of suction energy, battery lifestyles, and dustbin capability. At the pricier finish of the spectrum in particular, Dyson has an edge relating to the heavy-duty cleansing required to stay alongside of giant houses or common messes. Dyson’s upper prices additionally quilt extra exhaustive full-sized and hand held attachments that do not require separate acquire. In case you are truly choosy in regards to the degree of cleanliness that constitutes a troublesome flooring being barefoot-ready, Dyson’s laser is also a promoting level by itself.

Shark’s cordless vacuum lineup makes it simple to shop for a just right vacuum on the cheap — for any individual making an attempt not to outspend $500, I believe the Sharks in that worth vary are approach more potent competition than the inexpensive Dysons. There is additionally one thing to be mentioned for maintaining suction energy in test the best way that Shark has, and you’ll be able to rely on its vacuums to tackle a rug or carpet with out developing such a lot pressure that pushing or pulling turns into not possible. In case you are grossed out sufficient by way of guide dirt bin emptying, the truth that Shark provides computerized emptying with more than one vacuums generally is a robust sufficient promoting level in itself.

On the finish of the day, Dyson’s line of vacuums simply provides extra selection that I believe will fulfill extra other people, although it calls for saving up, splurging, or looking forward to a sale. There is most probably one going down as you learn this.